BOX SCORE
Photo thanks to our friends at Noozhawk!
By Harry Croton
Following an impressive 11-0 shutout win on Friday to begin the 2018 campaign, the Foresters and their confident staff of new pitchers took the field at Pershing Park and kept their undefeated start to the season alive, winning 7-2 Saturday over the Inland Empire Pirates.
Starting pitcher Isaac Coffey, the Channel League MVP in 2018 for Dos Pueblos High, allowed no runs on 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 4 over 5 terrific innings of work.
The ‘Sters got their scoring started in the second, when shortstop Utah Jones came around to score on a Pirates throwing error. It was part of a strounSanta Barbara broke it open in the bottom of the fifth, notching 4 runs on 4 hits (two triples and two singles), all coming with 2 outs.
Isaac Coffey’s older brother Luke started at third and had 2 hits and 2 RBI on the day, while catcher Michael Teobaldi added a 2-run triple to help solidify a 7-2 victory.
The story, though, was Isaac Coffey. Making his first start in several weeks, the Oral Roberts University commit looked dialed in from the get-go. In fact, he retired the first 12 batters he faced, inducing plenty of soft contact and recording multiple swinging strikeouts with his fastball and slider combination.
“I thought he looked really confident out there,” said teammate and fellow starting pitcher Garrett Crochet. “Especially given that he just graduated high school—it was clear that he didn’t let age define him tonight.”
With the win, the Foresters improve to 2-0 on the year, with both victories coming in non-league play. Next on the docket are the visiting Healdsburg Prune Packers, a California Collegiate League opponent that has opened up their season with an 6-0 record. The game will be a Sunday matinee at Pershing Park, starting at 2:00.
